1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an athletic shoe (e.g., a golf shoe) having anti-slip projections on its sole.
2. Related Art
As anti-slip spikes provided on the soles of athletic shoes such as golf shoes, there have been employed metal studs used in so-called spike shoes and each having a metal pin of a conical shape or a truncated conical shape, rubber studs used in so-called spike-less shoes and having a cylindrical shape or a truncated conical shape, and soft spikes used in so-called soft spike shoes and having a mushroom-cap-shaped projection. The metal studs and the soft spikes are removably attached to the sole of each shoe by means of threads, whereas the rubber studs are formed integrally with the sole such that parts of the sole are projected to form the studs. Many spikes are provided on the sole mainly at the heel portion and tread portion (area between the arch portion and the toe portion) of the sole where the weight of a user acts during walking or playing.
Among the various types of athletic-shoe spikes, the metal pins of the metal studs are projections formed of a hard material. Therefore, golf shoes using metal studs provide excellent performance in gripping a lawn surface, and therefore are most suitable for playing and walking at each hole. However, walking on a hard surface such as a paved path or the floor of a clubhouse is not comfortable and easily causes fatigue due to pushing up by the studs. Further, the metal studs are likely to scrape grass of the green, resulting in roughed green.
Since rubber studs are sufficiently flexible, golf shoes using rubber studs, unlike the above-mentioned golf shoes using metal studs, do not have the drawback stemming from pushing up. However, the golf shoes using rubber studs have a drawback that they do not sufficiently provide the performance of gripping lawn surface during playing or walking at each hole.
Since the mushroom-shaped soft spikes do not have the drawbacks involved in the metal studs and the rubber studs, the mushroom-shaped soft spikes have recently attracted a great deal of attention. However, since the mushroom-shaped soft spikes have a cap portion that comes in contact with the ground surface through a large contact area, the mushroom-shaped soft spikes easily become loose, and may drop during play.